PRESS RELEASE 2014.12.

25

ARCHITECTURE
FOR DOGS

2014.12.6 (Sat.) -
2015.5.10 (Sun.)

Exhibition Title ARCHITECTURE FOR DOGS

Planning & Direction HARA Kenya Co-Founded by Imprint Venture Lab

Period Saturday December 6, 2014 – Sunday May 10, 2015

10:00 - 18:00 (until 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays)

Closed: Mondays (but open the Monday of January 12), December 29 to January 1, and on January 13 and May 7.

Venue 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa (Design Gallery, Long-term Project Room)

Admission Free

Participating architects Atelier Bow-Wow, ITO Toyo, MVRDV, KUMA Kengo, Konstantin GRCIC, SEJIMA Kazuyo, Torafu Architects,
NAITO Hiroshi, BAN Shigeru, FUJIMOTO Sou, Reiser + Umemoto, Hara Design Institute, and HARA Kenya

Organized by 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa (Kanazawa Art Promotion and Development Foundation)

In Cooperation with Nippon Design Center

Inquiries 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa (Tel +81-(0)76-220-2800)

Media Contact
Exhibition Curator: TATEMATSU Yumiko
Public Relations Office: OCHIAI Hiroaki
1-2-1 Hirosaka, Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan 920-8509
Tel: +81-(0)76-220-2814 Fax: +81-(0)76-220-2802
http://www.kanazawa21.jp E-mail: press@kanazawa21.jp
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About the Exhibition Organized by designer Kenya Hara, the project ARCHITECTURE FOR DOGS looks freshly at architecture at
dog scale with the sincere aim of bringing new possibilities to architecture and happiness to dogs and people.
In November 2012, the project’s official website (architecturefordogs.com) was launched and thirteen works
of “Architecture for Dogs” by world-leading architects and designers were unveiled together with their
assembly drawings, which are available for free download. The website is set up as an interactive social
platform where users can upload images of their own works of “Architecture for Dogs” they have constructed
based on the downloadable drawings. After the exhibition’s opening at Design Miami/ in December 2012, it
traveled to Long Beach Museum of Art in Los Angeles, TOTO GALLERY·MA, and ZHI Art Museum in
Sichuan. Now, in 2014, it is being held at 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, where 28
projects, 31works of “Architecture for Dogs” are on display in the museum’s Long-Term Project Room,
Design Gallery, and Public Zone. Visitors can view architectural works designed for specific dog breeds such
as Shiba, Spitz, and Pug and enjoy observing how they reflect the personalities of their designers.
The Design Gallery is exhibiting ten variations (both scale models and actual-size constructions) of Kenya
Hara’s “D-TUNNEL”—a device that mediates between human scale and dog scale. The “Open Chair,” a
work selected from among ideas submitted by general visitors during the Tokyo exhibition, is also on
display for the first time in Japan.
ARCHITECTURE FOR DOGS—an exhibition of canine theme that promises to broaden the realm of
architecture.

Exhibition Concept ARCHITECTURE FOR DOGS is not about architecture for “animals.” The “dog” represents a universal
platform because practically everybody living on Earth is familiar with dogs, and many people hold some
degree of interest in them. Humans have always built their environments according to their own human
scale. The concept of human engineering, for example, is based on a vision for shaping the environment
to fit the human body. When I see small dogs standing alongside humans, however, I sense in them new
possibilities for architecture. If we were to go beyond human scale in imagining our environment, what
would it be like?
After incubating my concept for the project ARCHITECTURE FOR DOGS within me for over a decade, the
Internet age arrived and I became interested in setting it up on the web. I feel that by establishing a place
where the interests of architecture fans and dog fans intersect on a global scale, the project can be made
to develop spontaneously on its own as a new architectural design approach by which a single assembly
drawing generates countless replicas across the world. My idea drew the interest of Imprint Venture Lab, a
unique American investment company founded by Julia Huang, thanks to whom the project was able to
move forward. Renowned architects at the forefront of the global architectural scene also readily agreed to
cooperate. To spare no effort in seeking a solution, whatever the problem, is a virtue of the architect’s
profession. For this project to have influential power, it was essential that experienced architects with
established architectural views take part. Their sincere engagement, needless to say, has given the
project strong momentum. Architecture for “dogs” may appear like a project of animal lovers, but “dogs”
are only a provisional theme. We can put anything we like in the brackets of “Architecture for [ ],” so I will
ask you to view the project in this dry, matter-of-fact way.
After its launch in Miami, the project has traveled to Kanazawa by way of China. It excites me to think of the
new directions the project might take here, in Kanazawa, with the input of the people who come to see it.

HARA Kenya

About the Artist KENYA HARA

Born in 1958. Designer, board member of the Nippon Design Center, and
professor at Musashino Art Univeristy. Hara places importance on “invisible” as
well as “visible” design, and is constantly seeking to broaden the horizon and
scope of design. He has been the Art Director of MUJI since 2002, and
additionally has produced several exhibitions, such as RE DESIGN,
HAPTIC,SENSEWARE and HOUSE VISION, which focused on value
renovation. His books, Designing Design and White have been translated into
several languages and have been received popularly across the globe.

Related Events Architecture for [Something]

Date/time: Saturday, December 6, 2014 14:00~16:00
Venue: Lecture Hall, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
Guest Speakers: Junya Ishigami (architect), Kenya Hara (this exhibition’s director)
Admission: Free
Capacity: First 80 arrivals (application necessary)
Applications: Please use our website application form
*This event is closed.

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Artist Profile ATELIER BOW-WOW × DACHSHUND SMOOTH

Atelier Bow-Wow is a Tokyo-based firm founded in
1992 byYoshiharu Tsukamoto and Momoyo Kaijima.
The practice hasdesigned and built houses as well as
public and commercialbuildings in Tokyo, Europe, and
the USA. Its urban researchstudies led to the
experimental project “micro-public-space”, a
newconcept of public space, which has been exhibited
around theworld.

TOYO ITO × SHIBA

Architect. Born in 1941. Graduating from the University of
Tokyo Department of Architecture in 1965. His main
works include Sendai Mediatheque, Tama Art University
Library (Hachioji campus), etc.He was awarded the
Architectural Institute of Japan Prize, Golden Lion at the
Venice Biennale, Royal Gold Medal from The Royal
Institute of British Architects, The Pritzker Architecture
Prize, etc.

MVRDV × BEAGLE
MVRDV was set up in Rotterdam (Netherlands) in
1993 by Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, and Nathalie de
Vries. In close collaboration, the three principal
architect directors produce designs and studies in the
fields of architecture, urbanism, and landscape design.

KENGO KUMA × PUG

Architect, Professor at the University of Tokyo. Born in
1954.Recent works include FRAC Marseilles,
Besançon Art Center,Kabuki Theare, Nagaoka City
Hall, Asakusa Culture and Tourism Center, Nezu
Museum, and Suntory Museum. New projects are
underway both in Japan and abroad. His latest
writings include:Chisana Kenchiku and Kenchikuka,
Hashiru.

KONSTANTIN GRCIC × TOY POODLE

Konstantin Grcic, born 1965, was trained as a
cabinetmaker at the John Makepeace School for
Craftsmen in Wood (Dorset, England)before studying
design at the Royal College of Art in London. He
established his own office, Konstantin Grcic Industrial
Design(KGID) in Munich in 1991. Since then he has
developed furniture,products, and lighting for some of
the leading companies in the design field.

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KAZUYO SEJIMA × BICHON FRISE

Architect. Kazuyo Sejima studied architecture at the
Japan Women’s University before going to work for
Toyo Ito. She launched her own practice in 1987. In
1995, she established SANAA with Ryue Nishizawa.
Her own works include, House in a Plum Grove, Inujima
Art House Project. SANAA’s main works include: the
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in
Kanazawa, the EPFL Rolex Learning Center, and the
Louvre-Lens.

TORAFU ARCHITECTS × JACK RUSSELL TERRIER

Founded in 2004 by Koichi Suzuno and Shinya
Kamuro, Torafu Architects employs a working approach
based on architectural thinking. Works by the duo
include a diverse range of products from architectural
design to interior design for shops, exhibition space
design, product design, spatial installations, and film
making.

HIROSHI NAITO × SPITZ

Architect, Professor emeritus, University of Tokyo.
Born in 1950 in Kanagawa, Japan. Received M.Arch
from Graduate School of Waseda University. After
working as chief architect at the architectural office of
Fernand Higueras(Madrid, Spain,1976-1978), and as
staff at Kikutake Architects (Tokyo, Japan,1979-1981),
he established Naito Architect&Associates in 1981.

SHIGERU BAN × PAPILLON

Architect. Shigeru Ban, who was born in Tokyo in
1957, attended the Southern California Institute of
Architecture and graduated from the Cooper Union
School of Architecture in 1984. In 1985, he established
Shigeru Ban Architects, a private practice in Tokyo.
In1995, He started working as a consultant for the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and
at the same time established an NGO, Voluntary
Architects' Network(VAN). Renowned for his works
such as Nicolas G. Hayek Center and Centre
Pompidou-Metz, he is today based in his three offices
in Tokyo,Paris, and New York.

SOU FUJIMOTO × BOSTON TERRIER

Architect. Born in Hokkaido in 1971. After graduating
from the University of Tokyo, he established Sou
Fujimoto Architects in 2000. “Serpentine Gallery
Summer Pavilion 2013” is his latest work. In 2012, the
Japan Pavilion in La Biennale di Venezia, in which
Fujimoto also participated, was awarded the Golden
Lion.

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REISER+UMEMOTO × CHIHUAHUA
Reiser + Umemoto RUR Architecture PC is an
internationally recognized multidisciplinary architectural
design firm that has built projects at a wide range of
scales: from furniture, residential, and commercial
structures, up to landscape, urban, and infrastructure
design. The firm provides a full scope of involvements
with the relationship of architecture, structure, and
landscape, approaching each project as the
continuation of an ongoing inquiry, delving into
relationships among architecture, territory, and
infrastructure.

HARA DESIGN INSTITUTE × JAPANESE TERRIER

The Hara Design Institute, founded in 1991, is a design
section within the Nippon Design Center that is
supervised by Kenya Hara.Its specialty is communication
design. It is involved in multiple projects that delve into
the actual issues of the day from the standpoint of
design.

KENYA HARA × TEA CUP POODLE

* Profile on Page 2

Related Publication ARCHITECTURE FOR DOGS

Project Editer: ARCHITECTURE FOR DOGS, INC.
Planning & Organization: Kenya Hara + HARA DESIGN INSTITUTE, Nippon Design Center, Inc.
Co-Founded by: Imprint Venture Lab
Publication Date: October 24, 2013
Format: Non-standard B5, hardbound, 240 pages (projected)
Publisher: TOTO Publishing (TOTO LTD.) Tel: +81(3)-3402-7138
URL: www.toto.co.jp/publishing

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About the Work Photos of artworks no. 1 to 16 below are available for promotional purpose.
Interested parties should contact the Public Relations Office upon reading the conditions below.
Email: press@kanazawa21.jp
<Conditions of Use>
*Photos must be reproduced with the credit and caption given.
*Please refrain from cropping. During layout, please avoid laying type (caption or other) over the photo.
*Please allow the Public Relations Office to verify information at the proof stage.
*Please send a proof (paper, URL, DVD or CD) to the museum.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in advance.

1 2

Main visual for ARCHITECTURE FOR DOGS

©Hiroshi Yoda

ARCHITECTURE FOR LONG-BODIED-SHORT-LEGGED DOG

Atelier Bow-Wow × Dachshund Smooth
©Hiroshi Yoda

3 4

MOBILE HOME for SHIBA Toyo Ito × Shiba BEAGLE HOUSE INTERACTIVE DOG HOUSE MVRDV × Beagle
©Hiroshi Yoda ©Hiroshi Yoda

5 6

PARAMOUNT Konstantin Grcic × Toy Poodle

MOUNT PUG Kengo Kuma × Pug
©Hiroshi Yoda
©Hiroshi Yoda

7 8

ARCHITECTURE FOR THE BICHON FRISE WANMOCK

Kazuyo Sejima × Bichon Frise TORAFU ARCHITECTS × Jack Russell Terrier
©Hiroshi Yoda ©Hiroshi Yoda

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9 10

DOG COOLER PAPIER PAPILION

Hiroshi Naito × Spitz Shigeru Ban × Papillon
©Hiroshi Yoda ©Hiroshi Yoda

11 12

NO DOG, NO LIFE! CHIHUAHUA CLOUD

Sou Fujimoto × Boston Terrier Reiser + Umemoto × Chihuahua
©Hiroshi Yoda ©Hiroshi Yoda

13 14

D-TUNNEL
POINTED T
Kenya Hara × Tea Cup Poodle
Hara Design Institute × Japanese Terrier
©Hiroshi Yoda
©Hiroshi Yoda

15 16

Open Chair
Open Chair
Arisa TAKEMATSU + Hara Design Institute
Arisa TAKEMATSU + Hara Design Institute
* This concept of design is visualized to a practical use
* This concept of design is visualized to a practical use
from the vistor’s idea of the “Architecture for Dogs” exhibition in Tokyo
from the vistor’s idea of the “Architecture for Dogs” exhibition in Tokyo
from October to December, 2013.
from October to December, 2013.